The Ohio State women’s swimming and diving team was narrowly defeated by No. 16 Michigan Friday at the Mike Peppe Aquatic Center 153.5-146.5. The Buckeyes and Wolverines exchanged the lead several times and Ohio State had the lead going into the final event.

With Michigan leading by three points going into the next to last event, Deanna Strunk (So., West Lawn, Pa./Wilson) took an early lead in the 400-yard individual medley and placed first with a season best time of 4:25.14. Liz Osterer (Fr., Nepean, Ontario/Sir Robert Borden) and Stephanie Raezer (Sr., Newark, Del./Glasgow) took third and fourth, scoring a total of 14 points in the event to put the Buckeyes ahead 144.5-138.5. Head coach Jeanne Fleck immediately switched up her relay teams, spreading her talent in hopes of taking at least second and third place in the 400-yard freestyle relay to maintain the point lead.

Michigan, led by Susan Gilliam, held a short lead throughout the relay, with Ohio State going head-to-head for second place through the first half of the event. Ohio State finished only three seconds behind Michigan to take third and fourth place, giving up the dual meet win by only seven points.

Breaking a pool record set by Michigan at the Mike Peppe Aquatic Center in 1994, Rebekah Rychvalsky (Fr., Sydney, Australia/Castle Hill) won her third consecutive 200-yard breaststroke event with an NCAA B qualifying time of 2:18.79. Gulsah Gunenc (Fr., Edirne, Turkey/Edirne Anatolian) also took her third consecutive win in the 200-yard fly with a time of 2:03.26, setting a season’s best time.

Freshman Julie Broms continued her success with the Buckeyes, placing first in both the 1-meter dive with a score of 281.70 and the 3-meter dive with a score of 293.63, both NCAA zone diving qualifying marks. Broms has placed first in all but one of the diving events so far in the dual meet season.

“We took a chance splitting the relays in the final event so we could go for the win, not a tie,” Fleck said. “I’m happy to be getting where we need to be in the season and am proud of how the team swam tonight.”